Principal Advisor

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Principal Advisor is responsible for leading the Strategic Finance unit on cross MBIE projects and championing the Finance and Performance input into the organisational strategy of MBIE.

The Principal Advisor also provides leadership and coaching to the Strategic Finance team, ensuring quality and consistency of advice and practices and to lift performance and drive new and innovative ways of thinking in relation to the Strategic Finance team and the Finance and Performance branch’s work and wider MBIE.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Significant experience in planning and performance reporting in a public sector organisation.
• Highly developed conceptual and analytical ability, with the ability to deal with complex and emerging issues that contain a high level of ambiguity.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, demonstrated through experience at a senior level in successfully leading and producing key accountability, planning and budget related documents and performance reports.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information or areas of work and come to an understanding of unfamiliar and complex concepts and environments.
• Well-developed knowledge of government structures, processes, planning and reporting requirements with an excellent understanding of, and experience in contributing to or leading the processes that underpin the operations of the public sector environment, including policy development, Cabinet and parliamentary processes, accountability and reporting.
• Highly developed business analysis, performance and reporting skills and the ability to provide high quality and innovative advice to senior management, Central Agencies and Ministers in these areas.
• Excellent understanding of and demonstrated technical expertise at a senior level in developing and applying best practice business planning, performance and reporting frameworks and processes.
• Ability to produce and recognise high quality work and provide peer support and coaching to colleagues.
• A skilled negotiator and stakeholder manager who has a proven ability to work with and influence Senior Leadership Teams, senior officials and Ministers using their well-developed influencing, negotiation and collaboration skills and experience to build and maintain relationships and partnerships.
• Demonstrated commitment to effective client servicing and the ability to liaise with all levels of staff within the Ministry and with external agencies.
• Proven ability to think independently and coordinate organisation-wide systems and processes.
• A demonstrated ability to form robust professional working relationships which includes collaboration and co-operation with internal and external stakeholders when developing new models and systems.
• Welcomes and values diversity, and contributes to an inclusive working environment where differences are acknowledged and respected.
• Understanding of MBIE and where the team fits in delivering outcomes for the Ministry.
• A relevant tertiary qualification.
• Must consent to and satisfactorily complete a credit check
• Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Delivery and Results

• Takes the lead responsibility for providing information, support, and feedback to other staff, to enable team members to perform to their maximum potential, and undertakes coaching and mentoring of others in the team.
• Coordinates with the Principal Advisors in the Performance Reporting team in order to produce planning, performance and reporting tools and products.
• Supports projects that create new solutions that lift performance and improve planning, performance, accountability and budget information that meets the needs and expectations of Vote Ministers and SLT.
• Produces high quality planning, performance and reporting artefacts that build on and ensure the maintenance of planning and performance frameworks, templates and timetables to assist the team, business groups, SLT and the Chief Executive to analyse, monitor and report on MBIE’s progress against performance targets and key initiatives in MBIE’s strategy and business plans.
• Provides technical advice on ‘machinery of government’ processes, the external accountability processes and MBIE’s appropriation framework.
• Provides technical advice and direction on the development of performance measures and outcome frameworks.
• Has a well-developed understanding of risk based frameworks and processes and uses these to monitor and provide evidence based advice to the Head of Strategic Finance, and the Chief Financial Officer on risk issues relating to planning, performance, budget and accountability processes and relevant MBIE business groups and other agencies
• Leads / facilitates / actively supports the Strategic Finance unit and MBIE’s external and internal accountability processes
• Leads / project manages specific reviews and projects that drive new and innovative ways of thinking within the Strategic Finance unit, and across the Finance and Performance branch and wider Ministry, as required.

Relationship Management

• The role requires excellent relationship management, strategic and systems thinking, building and maintaining deep subject matter knowledge, and business process improvement skills.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Develops effective working relationships with other MBIE managers and staff in order to transfer knowledge and to the wider organisation.
• Builds and maintains relationships with internal and external stakeholders (including The Treasury and Office of the Auditor General) to ensure stakeholder satisfaction with business information reporting.
• Tests the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes (including stakeholder feedback).
• Liaises with data analysts across the business to ensure consistency in data requests and the provision of reporting.
• Develops and maintains excellent networks/customer relationships.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.
• Coaching and mentoring others within the team.

Wellbeing, health & safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Principal Advisor position reports into the Head of Strategic Finance within the Finance and Performance branch. The branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission